Into the Light
L.B. Simmons

This was a crazy emotional story. This made you feel sooooo much while reading it. I couldn't help but feel so sad during the majority of this book. Anyone that reads this and doesn't have feelings towards the characters and the situations in this book has to be heartless.

When Aubrey Miller begins her education at Titan University, she is no longer the beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl of her youth. In fact, she's no longer even Aubrey Miller.

Overcome with guilt and unable to cope with the loss of her beloved family, she has long since buried eight-year old Aubrey along with them and transformed herself into Raven Miller. Now with jet-black hair, multiple sets of eccentric contact lenses, and several facial piercings, she's veiled herself in complete darkness as a form of protection for herself, as well as others.

As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the overtly cheerful pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend who never really let her go.

Over the years, as their connections intertwine and strengthen, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the three. And eventually, the ties of friendship and discovery of first love begin to coax her from her darkened path as they slowly bring Aubrey back to life.

But when faced with the possibility of yet another death, one from which she may never recover, Aubrey finds herself lost again, burying herself deeper than ever before beneath the familiar abyss of her fears.

Spanning the course of four years, this is the story of a young woman's plight to finally reemerge, finding strength within unbreakable bonds as she delivers herself from her own manufactured darkness and safely back . . .

I can't believe I waited so long to read this one. I'm glad I had the opportunity to receive an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I'm looking forward to reading the other 2 books in this series. After giving myself sometime to process all the different feelings this book made me have.

WOW READ THIS BOOK ASAP.
I laughed and i seriously shed some tears with this book.My friends who know me know this never happens.I do not want to spoil the story the blurb on here gives you enough insight but - this is a story of love,loss,strength and learning to be yourself despite all the crazy things life throws at us.It is also about realising how you should hold onto the good people in your life for however long you have them.

review on gooreads under the name kimothy

“The simplicity of living astounds me. But it’s the terror of death that devours me.”

I’m speechless and in awe! The incredible journey L. B. Simmons just took me on has left me breathless. There are no word to convey how incredibly touching, moving, and inspiring this story is. I was sucked in from the 1st paragraph and never stopped reading until I finished every last word.

“Every being in the world makes an impact on at least one person they encounter during their lifetime. You can change the course of someone’s life by just a kind word, a hateful one, or even by simply choosing not to say anything at all. Every choice you make has the potential to create a ripple effect, trickling into and affecting the lives of others.”

This is a beautiful, heartfelt story about finding yourself. There are so many incredible lessons throughout this story. I was laughing, I was crying, my heart was torn to pieces, and I loved… I loved the characters, I loved the bonds and connections, the lessons learned, and the beauty of the story in it’s entirety.

“Beautiful people tend to be ugly, ugly people tend to be beautiful, storms tend to brew below a person’s cool, calm exterior, and tremendously happy people tend to be overcompensating for their own grief. Nothing is ever really what it seems.”

You are not only taken on Bree’s journey, but also the journey of Kaeleb & Quinn. The bond between these 3 best friends is truly magical and the strength they possess to help each other through everything is just beautiful. The characters are so real you feel every emotion being conveyed.

“Sometimes in life there are those random moments when everything just clicks. When all the fragments of your fractured past fall together, merging in your mind to form a lucid image of your future.”

The connection you feel with the characters is just astounding! Seriously, you are bonded with each and every one of them, from Linda (the guardian) to Mr. Palmer (the teacher/counselor), to Bree, Kaeleb, and Quinn. The writing is so incredible that you love every single one of them and feel every single emotion there is be felt. There are so many special moments.

The writing is flawless and beautifully poetic. You are taken on a lot of ups and downs throughout this story. These characters go through so much and I just can’t even begin to tell you how truly special this story really is.

The message of facing your fears and living each day to its fullest stands strong. This book is a must read and I can’t recommend it enough. You will not be disappointed. It will be staying with me for a long time. Truly beautiful!

“Shine bright. Shine always.”

Maybe this is meant for a younger reader. I don't know, I just didn't love it. It felt,juvenile. Both the writing and the characters. Good story, I just didn't connect at all.

I'd see Into the Light about on peoples reading lists before. I even saw it on Kindle Unlimited but never picked it up - no idea why. But then it popped up on NetGalley and I thought it was time to read this story.

This story is so heart felt. So beautiful. So gut wrenching. Raven/Aubrey is an amazing character. Unique in her ways, her defences, her life. Although so sad and at times hard to read her journey (And her friends too, Quinn was an amazing character), it was compelling too. I had to keep going. I think I've probably wrote at least a handful of times about books I've read being about 'a woman's self discovery'. But after reading this, I feel its almost cliche to use that sentence. Aubrey doesn't just grow in this book, she learns to accept and more importantly live.

I loved all the characters. Quinn was a huge favourite and you can't forget about Kaeleb, but there's some great supporting characters too and lets not forget about Walter!

To say that I enjoyed this book is a lie, it was beautiful, pure and simple. I had tears, a lump in my throat, I cheered internally and then was angry the next. So many emotions, but guess what? IF an author can make me feel something with their words, that's the sign of not a good book, but a great book.

I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the Chosen Paths series, those are also available at present on Kindle Unlimited. In To The Light is a stand alone, so no cliffhangers, worry not my fellow book worms. I adored this story, 4 stars.